Random excerpt

Word count: 27131 (with words written at work still to be counted)

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“Thank you, Mr. Bonnet,” she said. So she was in the right place after all.
“I’m sorry, I don’t think I caught your name,” I said, sitting down as well.
“Oh. I’m Olivia Tweed,” she said, extending her hand across my desk. I took it lightly in mine but found that she has a powerful grip. We shook hands and honestly, I didn’t want to let go, but I did before it got awkward. She asked, “Didn’t Mr. Barnum tell you I was coming?”
Of course Mr. Barnum didn’t tell me you were coming, I thought to myself. Mr. Barnum is a fat, lazy slob who wouldn’t know how to relay a message if Samuel Morse, Alexander Graham Bell and Steve Case were all giving him pointers. But of course, I said none of this. I simply tell her that unfortunately, I had no idea she would be visiting me that day.
“Well, that’s too bad. I’d hoped you’d be able to prepare for me,” she said.
I took a surreptitious glance at her left hand. There was no ring. “Don’t worry, Miss Tweed, I’m always prepared for everything.”
She smiled. “That’s nice to hear.”